\nIt\u2019s cold and flu season and everyone has advice about how to dodge an illness \u2014 or treat it if you catch something. But a lot of myths persist about how best to treat winter viruses, including remedies handed down for generations that lack any basis in fact.<\/p>\n
\nA prime example of a common misconception: Antibiotics help treat a cold.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIf you have a virus, antibiotics won\u2019t do anything,\u201d says Dr. Rebecca Andrews, associate professor of medicine at University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, Conn.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYou can\u2019t treat a virus, but if you have a cold, symptomatic treatment helps. Stay hydrated because that thins the mucus and secretions. One tablespoon of honey will help lessen the severity of a cough, and steam inhalation \u2014 like in the shower \u2014 or leaning over a bowl of hot water, will help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nAnother myth concerns what many call \u201cstomach flu.\u201d In fact, there is no form of influenza that affects just the gastrointestinal system, and \u201cstomach flu\u201d is often really a viral or bacterial infection \u2014 often from contaminated food \u2014 and you simply have to tough it out.<\/p>\n
\nThe flu, which strikes hundreds of thousands of Americans every year, is more severe than an average cold, includes all-over body aches, nasal congestion, a cough, and it can develop into life-threatening pneumonia.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAfter five to six days of a virus, you\u2019re not better, but you\u2019re not getting worse. If you are down and out with the flu, it\u2019s a full seven to 11 days,\u201d Andrews notes.<\/p>\n
\nAlthough some people avoid getting a flu shot for fear that it might give them the flu, this is another myth. In fact, the vaccine can\u2019t cause influenza because it contains no live virus.<\/p>\n
\nBut because the flu vaccine takes up to 10 days to become fully effective, after inoculation, it\u2019s possible get influenza after receiving the shot \u2014 but that\u2019s because they\u2019ve been exposed to the virus before the shot\u2019s effectiveness kicked in to offer protection.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a vaccine, and it activates the immune system. The body can mount a response, you might get a few symptoms, even a low grade fever, but it is very mild,\u201d Andrews explains.
\n\u201cIf someone has already been exposed, it takes about three days to get sick and if you get the vaccine just at the time, you may get sick, but it isn\u2019t caused by the vaccine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nShe adds that it\u2019s wrong to believe that the flu shot can pose a danger to many people.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThere are very few people who I wouldn\u2019t advise to get the flu shot,\u201d Andrews says. \u201cIf you have chronic disease and you are exposed to the flu, having had the vaccine can make it much milder.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe flu can be deadly. Last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the vaccine prevented about five million illnesses. The 71,000 hospitalizations could be reduced. In 2015, 5,000 deaths were reported from the flu, and that averages about 1.5 per 100,000 people who get the flu.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nFor those people who feel strongly against getting a flu vaccine, the question is whether or not they are able to stay home from work or school for the entire course of the disease.
\nAnd because the flu can be so deadly, and impacts vulnerable people \u2014 such as the elderly, infants, and those with chronic illnesses \u2014 getting a vaccine protects not only yourself, but those around you.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe time period when you walk around giving hugs and kisses, you are exposing other people\u201d to the virus, Andrews notes. \u201cWe try to vaccinate enough of us to protect each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nIf you do get sick, what really helps? Experts offer the following advice:<\/p>\n
\n\u2022\tTake time to recover from an illness and let it run its course.
\n\u2022\tOne study of people exposed to a cold virus showed that those who got 8 hours of sleep were better able to fight off colds.
\n\u2022\tLow-level exercise is OK, but don\u2019t tax your system.
\n\u2022\tIf you have the flu, an anti-viral called Tamiflu, given early in the course of the disease, might lessen the symptoms.
\n\u2022\tVitamin C taken with the onset of a cold won\u2019t do anything, but if you take Vitamin C daily, it might lessen the severity of the illness.
\n\u2022\tHand washing is critical \u2014 viral particles live on things like phones, ATM machines, and it is easy to be exposed to an illness this way.
\n\u2022\tRecent research shows that there is a sharp increase in cases of the flu when the temperature decreases significantly, so stay inside and drink fluids.<\/p>\n
\nFeed a cold, starve a fever? Rather than follow this old wives\u2019 tale, Andrews suggests the following:<\/p>\n
\n\u2022\tMetabolic rates increase with fever, meaning that you deplete the body\u2019s stores more quickly \u2014 replenishing calories, fluids, and electrolytes is important for both colds and fevers.
\n\u2022\tIf you are sick enough that you don\u2019t feel like eating, try to eat some soup or broth.
\n\u2022\tThere is some truth to the notion that you should have chicken soup; soup and crackers provides you with the salt that helps you to retain fluid and stay hydrated. The warm broth also helps to open sinuses.
\n\u2022\tEating healthy helps \u2014 high-sugar or high-fat foods stress the body.
\n\u2022\tMake sure to get plenty of fluids. That\u2019s especially true for seniors and very young children who tend to become dehydrated quickly.
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s cold and flu season and everyone has advice about how to dodge an illness \u2014 or treat it if you catch something. But a lot of myths persist about how best to treat winter viruses, including remedies handed down for generations that lack any basis in fact. A prime example of a common misconception: Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-151937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151937\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}